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NZ Fashion Week: It’s a Kinda Magick

Outfit by Jimmy D from Until the Light Takes Us, Autumn/Winter 2011, recently acquired by Te Papa. The print is by Andrew McLeod.

This week I am attending my first ever full Fashion Week. A Fashion Week that might, according to newspaper reports, be New Zealand’s last – at least while the recession digs its toes in.

Yesterday I attended two shows that while wildly diverse reflect two aspects of current activity at Te Papa. My first show of the day was Jimmy D’s It’s a Kinda Magick. In keeping with Jimmy D’s signature aesthetic, it was a dark and magical show that demonstrated the designer’s (James Dobson) understanding that a catwalk show is not just showing clothes – it is about creating a mood and a sense of growing drama. Set to a soundtrack mixed by Tony ‘T-Bone’ Wehner, it was a holistic, well paced show in which a tribal narrative unfolded.

For Its a Kinda Magick, McLeod created Chinoiserie-inspired prints mixed with images of brain scans, circuitry and burgeoning flowers. Inspired by clothing in motion – ‘I love drape, and I love having a garment sweep seductively over the form of the body and then swing wildly away from it’ – the prints energetically ripple across billowing swathes of silk, which were at times are bound with leather harnesses and studded with spikes. As the press release ran: ‘Last winter’s black metal girl has grown up and fallen in love with a futuristic clan of warrior witches’.

Jimmy D It’s a Kinda Magick, 2011 NZ Fashion Week.

While Jimmy D presented a clan of dark witches and warlocks, the following show presented the lighter side of fairytales – the fairytale bride, which of course is the subject of Te Papa’s upcoming exhibition from the V&A, Unveiled: 200 Years of Wedding Dress. While the New Zealand Wedding Show started surprisingly with with a heavy metal sound track, it was soon all swishy fabric, sparkles and romance (albeit the young models all looked like child brides). The show featured a range of designers including John Zimmerman, Vinka Design, Sera Lily, Alma J and A La Rose.

Wedding gown by John Zimmerman.

I will post more on the subject of wedding gowns on Saturday as we have a surprise to reveal. But in the meantime, you might want to tune in to TV3’s NZ’s Next Top Model this Friday night for a preview of a very special gown, the behind the scenes story of which we will reveal soon!